The Girl With No Reflection

It impressed me with all the love & terror it held—a brave princess married into a royal family that hides a distressing history, a dutiful crown prince, dangerous reflections filled with vengeance, and a fantastical prophecy. Full review will be posted on 20th August.

This was a very unexpected worldbuilding, yet a very intriguing and fascinating one. A Mirror World, a prophecy, a curse, a really strong FMC, and all in an Asian setting.

The Emperor's family seems to be cursed, and now Ying is chosen to marry the grumpy prince. But before she has to do this, she is drawn into a mirror world that could be freeing or dangerous. From this point, nothing in this story will go as you think.

I loved the concept and would have liked to spend more time in the mirror world to see how everything works. However, this is not the kind of story this book wants to tell.

Instead, Ying has to unravel mysteries and find how own place in everything. And she has to fight - for herself, her friends, her love, and eventually everything in this world.

This is a standalone novel, which I very much appreciate. However, if the author ever wants to write a prequel featuring Mei Po, I'd be in so much.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks for the eARC!

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This was SO close to being a perfect read for me, and I was blown away from the beginning as it was so atmospheric, eerie and captivating.

I loved the characters and the worldbuilding, which was perfectly explained and paced as the main character journeys along the strange, enchanting world she finds herself (literally) drawn into.

Things I adored: fierce chemistry between the leads, pleasantly surprising twists, engaging character growth, political drama, high tension throughout kept me gripped till the end. I was kicking my feet and twirling my hair as the romance heated up and I LOVED the misunderstandings and angst because it actually makes so much sense for the story and characters and shows they have to learn to trust each other, and that it's not easy to love in this dangerous world.

Things I'd critique: the tone occasionally gets muddled between a YA fantasy and an adult horror/Chinese political novel. I think it takes the best from both tones but sometimes, especially towards the end, favours heart over logic and depth. It's not a bad thing, just sometimes I felt the story was full of realistic violence, tension and complex messages, then became a younger and "hope and love win all!" vibe.

This was fantastic, the concept was so unique and I devoured this book.

I am thoroughly on edge about mirrors and the idea your reflection may be sentient or another realm mimicking you until they wish to strike. This plot plays into this concept and does it brilliantly. Mixing a little horror with high fantasy and arranged marriage.

Our two main characters are pure tension and combative energy throughout, but in true enemies to lovers fashion they find they complete each other. I liked how big a role both characters play in the plot and there’s some real growth on both their parts.

The Girl with No Reflection had been on my tbr for far too long before I finally got round to reading it.
I am beyond excited and happy that Keshe got a traditional publishing deal with Hodderscape - she deserves it, and this book is amazing. I hope it gets to all the readers!
It was well written in a way that kept me coming back for more. The whole premise of the mirror world is actually quite creepy when you think about it. But I loved the characters, Ying was a little naive but likeable. The Prince, bless him, just didn't know how to express himself.
The world building was so well done. I can't stop thinking about mirror worlds now 😅

Actual rating: 4,5 stars

This book surprised me in the most pleasant way. It's been on my radar for months, but the synopsis sounded like it could be hit or miss for me as I don't usually enjoy portal worlds. However, I love Asian-inspired fantasy, and the cover was too beautiful to not give it a try, and I'm so glad I did.

It took me a minute to get into the book because at the beginning, I wasn't sure if maybe this book would be more vibes than plot as it starts more slowly and you're not quite sure what direction it is going to take.
That changed rather quickly, and when I was a third into the story, I was fully invested.
The first half of the book was really good, the second half was phenomenal. It REALLY picked up pace, there were lots of twists and turns and different elements, but they all worked together so well.

At the end of the year, I always make a top 10 list of the most unique books I've read that year, and I have no doubt that this will be in my top 3.
The way the mirror world was done was so cool and I haven't read anything like it (granted I usually avoid portal world books as I said), and there was so much lore, references to mythology and history, some alchemy and interesting characters thrown in, I was truly in awe of the world the author created. I also think it takes quite some skill to craft such an intricate world for a standalone without making it feel convoluted or confusing. Even though the world was quite complex, I never struggled to understand what was going on.

I think the book is more NA than YA as it was quite dark, which I personally really enjoyed. It almost felt like there were some horror elements added in with the different beasts.

I also loved the cast of characters, and I especially enjoyed the changing loyalties and revelations that kept you on your toes about all the different characters.
The romance was lovely, too, though it wasn't my favorite aspect of the story (not because it was bad, everything else was simply better in my opinion).

Overall, I highly recommend this book and I'm excited for whatever the author writes in the future.

I really enjoyed this book. A mix of fantasy and horror with inspiration from East Asia.

Set in two worlds, the normal world and the mirror world which you can be locked/stuck in while only able to look through the mirror at your world.

There are mythical creatures, mystery, violence, characters you love, characters you hate and romance.

I read this book very quickly as I couldn't put it down

The book has perfect setting, perfect characters and just the perfect amount of spice. I loved the description of two different realms and how the main character had a part to play in both the realms. In one realm, there was a responsible prince in real world while in the other realm, beyond the mirror, there was a charming mirror prince. All the strange happenings consumes Ying Yue and on the eve of her wedding, she accidentally opens the gateway to another realm. The secrets haul off and mystery unveils with romance, curse, prophecy and quest.

Thanks to the Author and Publisher.